


Rain

by TheSinnabun



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, But pretty passive thoughts for now, Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Abuse, Recovery, Suicidal Thoughts, Will add more as they come by
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-16 15:33:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9278186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSinnabun/pseuds/TheSinnabun
Summary: You took his hand.He pulled you to your feet.You told him your name.That was all he would need.





	1. Rain

**Author's Note:**

> I found so many amazing fics with Guzma and reader so I wanted to give it a try! I wanted to spin the idea of how Guzma typically recruits his bois and gals and nonbinary pals

Rain.

Rain was good.

The rain soothed your burning flesh as the bruises finished forming. The rain cleaned your stinging eyes as you ran with your vision blurring. The rain washed away any evidence of blood as you fled the shouting.

Your vision was far from clear and your footing was less than stable but you ran with all your might. You ran until you slipped and fell face first into wet sand.

Sand… Oh god you need to keep running. But when you lifted your head you found yourself face-to-face with a pyukumuku, who curiously gurgled at you. Hano Beach. You were far from your home at the northern half of the island.

But were you safe?

You didn’t care. You didn’t move from your spot, your body giving out from exhaustion and pain. All you could do was curl up and sob.

 

-

 

Rain. 

Rain was bad.

The rain soaked you to the bone as you continued to find shelter. The rain chilled the very fiber of your being as you settled in an alley. The rain mocked everything that you were.

You dragged your way underneath the shelter of a roof in Malie Garden, collapsing onto a bench. Who knows how long it’s been since then? You lost count of the days and nights when passing out at inopportune moments became a regular activity. You had made money chucking those cute pokemon back into the ocean and used the money to get a ticket to Ula’ula.

You didn’t count for the idea that there would be no steady job chucking here. So you went broke fast. At least, you would say to yourself, trying to stay positive, that you had no pokemon to worry about. No pokemon to disappoint, no pokemon to be unable to feed, no pokemon to keep your miserable company, no pokemon to help you through this terrible time, no-

You broke down into sobs. Boy, were you pathetic…

No one was in the garden in this type of weather. It was a harsh rainstorm, and if you were honest it was a miracle that you haven’t gotten sick and died yet. Not that you would be opposed to death right now.

Shit. That was a bad thought… Fuck it. You hated yourself. Only idiots do the stupid things you did. Only idiots would get themselves caught in the weather.  And you deserved to suffer the consequences.

“Oi.”

You wouldn’t have even noticed if not for the sudden hand on your shoulder, large and firm. Your anxiety sprung you up, and the sudden change of balance tipped you over. You fell backwards onto the dirt, wet and sticky from the rainwater that crept it’s way onto the once dry patch of land, but that was the last of your worries, looking at your assailant as you crawled backwards. They must have said something, but you didn’t catch it.

You only stopped when you realized the figure before you wasn’t your stepfather. No, the figure was much taller from where you were looking. But the shape was undeniably different. It was too dark to really see their figure, but their voice was masculine. Rough.

“Easy, easy kiddo! Why ya out here in this kind of weather?!”

“...”

“...”

They didn’t speak again, squatting down and extending their hand. You flinched, and their hand froze in it’s place. They were… holding it out to you. They wanted to help you up. You scooted away instead, and pushed yourself to your feet. You were still crying. You couldn’t hide it. You couldn’t stop it.

They sidestepped, going around the bench to your side.

“I ain’t here to hurt ya, promise, just-” They flailed a hand, trying to find the words. You got the impression they weren’t even sure what they were doing. “Just talk to me, girly-”

“I’M NOT A GIRL!”

You didn’t expect the sudden burst of voice, and apparently neither did they by the way they flinched. You didn’t mean to shout, but you didn’t stop to think about it. “I, am a man! I am a man, I am a MAN and I don’t care what anyone says or thinks, I am TIRED of everyone calling me a girl when I’M NOT! I’m not…” The sobs came back in full swing, and you tried to wipe your eyes with your already wet, and now mud-smudged, sleeve.

At first there was nothing. You stood there, shaking and heaving while facing this nameless person that probably was more than a little stunned. And most likely angry, if you went by experience. You were ready to hear opposition, for them to shout at you or call you stupid or to hit you, but it never came.

“...It’s alright bro, I getcha.”

You looked to them, shock and disbelief evident. Your eyes adjusted enough to get a better look at them, but you still couldn’t discern them. You only recognized the glint of a golden watch on their left hand, which was patting next to them encouragingly. “What’s a boy like you doing in this crazy ass weather? Man to man.”

He accepted you were a man. Just like that? You just screamed at him and… He still wanted to talk to you? Maybe you finally died, and he was here to guide your spirit to the beyond. Maybe he really was some concerned man, just wanting to help. You couldn’t explain why you were scared, but you felt…

You felt like you could trust him.

You sniffled, wiping all the fluids from your face as you sat down, still keeping a distance from him, just in case. “I…” You tried to speak, but after your outburst, you couldn’t bring yourself to speak.

The man tapped the bench with his finger. And the longer you waited to speak the faster he began to tap. You tried to grow smaller, as you tried to calm your breathing.

“Shit, where’s Plume’s when you need her..” You could just hear him groan under his breath before he spoke, too stubborn to give up. “Doncha got anywhere to go?”

You shook your head, looking at the ground in front of you.

“Oof… Runaway, huh?” You nodded, shrinking even more. “Hey, hey, it’s okay just.. Don’t start cryin’ again okay?” Silence passed for a moment, before he tried again. “No money?” A headshake. “No friends?” Another shake. “Not even any pokemon…?” You shook your head more aggressively, sucking in a breath. Maybe this was a bad idea. Now he’ll know you’re even more pathetic than you look. He didn’t ask another question, but you heard him get up.

At first, you thought he was leaving. But then you saw his dark, baggy pants blocking your view of the mud.

“Come with me.”

You looked up.

In the new angle, you could finally see him. Wet, white hair clung to his face, just barely out of the way of his grey eyes. Under his open jacket a golden pendant glinted at you, swinging to and fro as he outstretched his hand.

You stared at his grinning mug, eyes wide as dinner plates. You should have recognized this man sooner.

Guzma.

The bogeyman of the islands. The big bad boss of Team Skull. You don’t have to be a trainer to know they were bad news.

“What, a dry bed don’t sound good to ya? If yer worried about repayin’ me we can talk about it when we’re not soggier than tits.”

You stared at his open palm. If he was such bad news… why was he the first one to accept you just like that? Why was he offering you a place for the night? “A...are you sure…?”

“I’ll be sure if ya tell me your name.”

You wiped your eyes again.

His grin stretched as you looked back at him.

You took his hand.

He pulled you to your feet.

You told him your name.

That was all he needed.


	2. Crazy Cat Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guzma makes a pitstop on the way to Po Town

“Shit. Shit. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.”

He carried your unconscious body on his back, his jacket covering your upper body. The actual physical labor was trivial; you were a tiny thing compared to him, and he was much stronger than he looked. His concern laid with the fact that you shortly passed out right at the beginning of Route 16.

In hindsight, he probably should have taken you to get some food first. Too late now.

“Plumes, pick up your goddamn phone, pick up pick u-FUCK!!”

He turned his head to look at your unconscious form, adjusting his hold when your face started to slip down his shoulder. If she wasn’t picking up her phone, she wasn’t in Po Town. And she’s probably the only one that could give you a proper look over.

But that was off the table, and it’d take too long to take you to a proper center. There was only Po Town here. Po Town and…

 

\--

“HEY CRAZY MEOWTH MAN YA IN HERE?!”

Three of the Meowths in the police station flinched when Guzma kicked the door open, while some others literally flipped, but he paid no mind when he heard the familiar sigh from out of side.

“For the last  _ time _ , I am not-” The half-lidded police officer stopped in his tracks as he rounded the corner into the main office. He didn’t need to look hard at all to see what was wrong with this picture. “... I’m going to take a shot in the dark and assume you’re  _ not _ responsible for this, otherwise you wouldn’t have brought…” He couldn’t get a good look at your form, so he couldn’t even guess your age. “Whoever this is.”

“No shit, Nanu,” Guzma barged in further. “He passed out and I ain’t heartless and you’re the closest thing ‘round here.” He decided to leave out the part about taking you back to Po Town. “You’re a police man, so do something here!”

He stared, taking a sip of his coffee to stall for time. The longer he stalled, the longer Guzma stared. The longer Guzma had to stare the angrier he got. Finally the officer sighed, setting his mug down next to a meowth that was laying down on the desk.

  
“I’m no doctor, but I’ll see what I can do. And here I was hoping for a peaceful night, for once…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter guys, I wanted to be realistic but I'm TERRIBLE and transitions. I didn't want to skip to when you're settled in because getting to know everyone is super important??? 
> 
> idk I'm working on the next part as we speak
> 
> THAT BEING SAID, let me know if you actually like these kinds of chapters, where the narrator focuses on Guzma. That used to be a turn off for me in stories but I stopped being picky years ago on that sort of thing


	3. Shea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet the first of many Skull Grunts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you I was working on the chapter already! ODO Back on track

You weren’t sure how long you slept, but when you woke up, everything was soft. Warm, too. Everything was just… so nice.

Which is what scared you.

You shot up, gasping for air. It wasn’t all a dream, was it? You aren’t back at home were you?! Before panic could settle in, you immediately recognized the environment. Well, you recognized it wasn’t your old room. No, it was a cramped space of a room, bare in every sense of the word. The only other piece of furniture besides your bed was a fold out metal chair.

These clothes weren’t even your own. You didn’t have a black tanktop, yet there it was. There were a pair of black capris folded and placed at the foot of your bed, otherwise you were in your underwear.

Where am I…?

“The realm of the living, finally!”

You didn’t even realize you spoke outloud, when a skull grunt, wearing white shorts, suddenly came in as they answered you. “Tony! Tell the boss he’s finally awake!” You could hear a response of a ‘thank fuck!’ but the grunt shut the door and made themself comfortable in the chair beside you. “Heyyy! How you feelin’?”

Team Skull… It was fuzzy, but you do remember that this sounded right. For some reason. “...I…” The initial adrenaline rush you felt upon waking up turned out to be the only thing keeping you upright. All it took was a small coughing fit into your fist and the grunt effortlessly got you back to laying down.

“Ohhh yeah. Dude you’ve been out for a few days, I wouldn’t try getting up.”

“A few days…?” You raised a hand to your head, trying to remember what happened.

“Yeah! You passed out and Boss carried you to the island Kahuna with all the meowths, and then after he made sure you weren’t going to die he brought you to HQ.”

You didn’t respond at first, trying to take all that in. It would explain why you still felt like crap. Everything was heavy, and your sinuses felt like they were filled with whatever dripped off of a muk. “Why did I pass out, exactly…?”

They looked away from you, scratching their cheek. “Well, starvation and mild hypothermia isn’t exactly the best combination… Boss assigned me to keep an eye on you until you woke up, but I know a few things since both my parents were doctors so I wanted to try and make sure you’d get back to health. Oh! I’m Shea, by the way!”

You exchanged names and you closed your eyes. He really carried you all the way here? Why was he so invested in such a lost cause? You put your arm over your eyes, trying to make it  darker. You may have been asleep for a few days, but you still felt exhausted. The grunt, Shea, had her eyes on you, and you snorted to try and clear your nose. “Thank you… for... You know…”

“Hey, don’t mention it! Boss likes you, so we like you! Dig?”

“Not really, but still. Thanks.”

You could hear some noise outside through the walls. When you focused on it, you realized there were hushed whispers and speed walking, followed by a “Cram it already!” Soon enough, the door swung open and you flinched a little more violently than you expected.

“Holy shit, he’s alive.”

“Told ya he was in good hands, Boss!”

You raised your arms to watch Guzma make his way over to the bedside, patting the girl and affectionately shaking it. “Ya done great, kid!”

Boy was he a loud man. It gave you a headache already. Even so, you were… extremely grateful to the man. You managed to push yourself to sit up, this time leaning against the wall for support. “Guzma?”

“Sup?” He looked to you so casually, but his grin seemed to stretch even wider after seeing you were conscious and moving. “How ya feelin’?”

“Like I’d be barfing if I had food in my stomach…” you admitted. “But I’ll be fine. I just…” He rose an eyebrow, but let you get your words together. “You didn’t have to do that for me.”

“Wha?” He and Shea exchanged a look, before he burst out laughing. You cringed at the jolt it gave your headache. “Didn’t have to, he says!” It sounded like the funniest thing in the world to him. “Look, I promised you a bed and shelter from the rain for a bit, right? Ya boy here _always_ keeps his promises.” You noticed Shea was smiling. Wordlessly, he cocked his head and he set his hand on the chair. “Shut the door on your way out.”

Instinctively, you tensed as Shea did as she was told. “Alright, so I said we could discuss repayment once we were dry.”

Experience made it so you were more than anxious at the idea of being alone with him. That never ended well. But then again, for all the trouble you put him through, you probably deserved it. You shut your eyes tight, ready for whatever he was going to throw at you.

“I want ya to join us.”

Slowly, you opened your eyes to look at him, blinking as if you were trying to wake yourself up. He had turned the chair around to straddle it, arms over the back and leaning his head on his arms. And he looked as serious as one could be with a cocky grin on his face.

“You… want me to…????????? ? ?” Your confusion was well received until you started coughing. Oooh, that one sounded gross.

“Ye.”

“To join you guys?”

“Yeah.”

“But… why?! I don’t have any skills, I don’t have any pokemon, I have _no_ redeeming qualities and I nearly died!”

“And?”

He was serious. How could he be serious about this? You stared at him incredulously. How the hell could he find worth in you? You weren’t even good enough to be a thug. “I don’t even think I could work up to stealing pokemon…”

He gave a shrug. “I’ll be level with you.” He looked over to the door. “In case you haven’t noticed, everyone except like three people including me are teenagers and even younger. It’s pretty much me and Plumeria taking care of these kids, ya know? Plumes and I are maining the front, but we need someone making sure the the doesn’t fall apart. Are you any good with cooking? Or cleaning? Or chucking pyukumukus?”

“I don’t know about cooking, but…”

“You can do the other two, right?”

“Mainly the last one, actually. But… I did that just get off that damn island-”

He raised his hand up, frowning. “You don’t gotta say anymore.” He gave a sigh, and you could see the gears turning in his head. “Tell ya what. Stay here and rest until Shea says you’re good to go. Once you’re better you can work on cleaning this place. And once you’re done, You can give me your answer about joining us. Howzzat sound?”

It sounded… more than reasonable, if you were honest. You couldn’t believe your ears. You stared at him as he got up; boy was he tall.

“Why… are you being so nice to me?”

“Huh?” He took a moment to let your question sink in, before he shrugged. “We’ve all be down and out, man. And I do mean all o’ us. Everyone deserves a second chance. Think about it.”

You watched him leave, shutting the door with a thud, and you laid down, staring at the ceiling.

You hoped you’d get better soon. You hated sitting on a decision.

Especially when it’d decide what you’ll do for the rest of your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is a couple words off from the first chapter? I swear I write more than this on average. Just... kind of trying to work on my pacing. I tend to get ahead of myself Q//D//Q

**Author's Note:**

> This miiiiiight just be a oneshot?? Let me know to keep going or not, please! I'd like to continue but some feedback and ideas would be nice! ;w;/
> 
> Reader miiiiight be asexual bc I'm one?? I can do smut just fine but shrugs I'll see how it plays out or see how input comes along


End file.
